


Come and Be Human With Me

by the_interuniversal_geometer



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Found Family, Gen, Witcher Edward Elric, dead but not gone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_interuniversal_geometer/pseuds/the_interuniversal_geometer
Summary: Edward of Eldberg is a witcher, a monster hunter separated from his family at a young age to be transformed into mutant, more capable of fighting than a human. His brother has spent his whole life looking for Ed but when they are reunited the two of them are thrust into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the whole of the Continent.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric
Comments: 20
Kudos: 19





	Come and Be Human With Me

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic comes from the poem Polite Plea by Keaton Henson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Aaron for betaing this chapter!

Ed was enjoying his meal in his own little corner of the tavern, savoring the mediocre meat pie, more lard than meat, when someone clad entirely in armor approached him. He didn’t look up as they approached, even when they stopped directly in front of him.

“Uh, excuse me, sir?” the man asked. Ed didn’t respond, instead taking a long sip of his ale. He was tired, sore from slaying what had turned out to be a nest of kikimora, a mother and two of her children, rather than the single monster that he had been hired to slay. His side still ached and he had yet to properly clean and bandage it, instead having opted to cover it with linen and have his meal first before sterilizing it later in his room.

“Excuse me? Sir?” asked the man again.

“What?” demanded Ed, slamming his tankard of ale down, splashing a bit over the side. “What do you want?”

“I—I just wanted to know if you were a witcher!” the man squeaked.

“…Yes I’m a witcher,” Ed told him, “but I’m not for hire. Not now.”

“I’m not looking to hire you,” the man said, “I was actually looking to ask you…do you know my brother?”

Ed titled his head to the side. “Why would I know your brother?

“Because he’s a witcher! I’ve been—I’ve been looking for him my whole life and I thought you might be able to help me.”

“Witchers don’t have families. We give them up when we become witchers.”

“But my brother became a witcher! He’s still my brother,” the man insisted.

Ed hummed noncommittally. “Tell me about him then. There aren’t many of us left.”

“Well, he was older than me? So he’d be about seventy now,” the man said.

“How old are you now?” Ed interrupted. “He must have been taken away when you were just a child. Witchers are taken away young.”

“I was cursed,” the man said, “but that’s not important, not right now. His name would be Edward Elric? Or at least it was. I don’t know if witchers keep their same names.” Ed sat unmoving, unanswering, and the man said, “Sir? Do you know him?”

“I—I—yes,” Ed rasped, his voice thick. “That’s—that might be me. Edward of Eldberg. I—I don’t remember my given name but I’m seventy three now.”

“You’re Edward of Eldberg?” the man asked “ _The_ Edward of Eldberg?” 

“Yes,” Ed said cautiously, “what of it?”

“Nothing at all,” the man said, “only, I’ve heard stories about you!”

“All bad, I’m sure,” said Ed bitterly. His brief joy at having possibly found a living member of his family was quickly being overwhelmed by the fact that this man knew of him, of his _reputation,_ and would surely hate him after that.

“Not all of it,” the man tried to reassure him. “I’m—I can't believe it's you!” he couldn’t contain his excitement, his tinny voice growing louder. “I’ve been looking for you for so long and after I heard about all those witchers who were killed…well I thought…it doesn't matter anymore,” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re here! You’re alive and I found you!”

“You did find me,” Ed said, the side of his mouth lifting in a small smile. “Do you want to take a seat? Have a bite to eat?” he asked his brother. _Brother._ That was really something. He had forgotten that he had had a brother. Still had one in fact, if this man was to be believed! Maybe he could introduce him to Izumi…who had taken him from his supposed brother in the first place. Maybe that was a bad idea on second thought. But what was his brother’s name? 

“I’m not really hungry,” the other man told him sadly. Ed wasn’t sure why he would be sad. There was nothing about a lack of hunger that would typically make someone sad.

“Suit yourself,” Ed said with a shrug, and took a long sip of his ale. “What brings you to…here?” Ed asked, not quite recalling where, exactly, they were.

“Just passing through Posada,” the armored man said nonchalantly. “I was on my way to Kaedwen when I stopped in here and saw you and, well, you’ve got the distinctive hair so I thought I’d…ask.” He motioned towards Ed’s long white braid when he mentioned the distinctive hair. Ed had the amber cat eyes of a witcher, to be sure, but he also had stark white hair as a result of his extra mutations.

“Yes, it certainly is distinctive,” Ed agreed. He waved the barmaid over to him and said, “An extra ale, if you please,” with a motion towards the other man.

The woman looked from the man in armor to Ed and back to the man in armor. “Do you really want to be drinking with him?” she tried to whisper. “He’s the _Dog of Dalvik._ ”

The other man shot Ed a look as if to ask if this happened often but Ed shrugged. It was a common enough occurrence, for witchers to experience the disdain of humans, but even more so for him. He was well-known for his…questionable past and common folk reminded him of it endlessly. Children would bark at him in the streets before being pulled away by their parents with a warning that he might kill them, too, if a lord commanded him. It wasn’t pleasant but it also wasn’t anything less than he deserved.

“That’s my brother you’re talking about!” the armored man defended. “Of course I want to share a drink with him!”

“If you’re sure,” the barmaid said skeptically.

“Of course I’m sure,” he said heatedly. She gave a small shrug and left to fix the drink.

“The nerve of some people!” the man said. “I can’t believe her.”

“It’s fine,” Ed said. “She’s right, though. You shouldn’t be hanging around me. I attract trouble.”

“I only just found you, you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” the other man said, and Ed could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m not—I wouldn’t—I’m just—don’t worry about me,” Ed said after a few false starts.

It was then that the barmaid came back with the armored man’s drink, leaving it in front of him and leaving the two men as quick as she could. Ed waited for the other man to pick up his drink but he didn’t. 

“Are you going to drink that or is ale not to your taste?” Ed asked. The other man paused for a moment, looking as if he were considering his words.

“I mentioned earlier that I was cursed, right?” the man asked. Ed nodded. “Well, part of the curse is that I’m unable to eat or drink.” Ed’s eyes went wide. Was the man who claimed to be his brother to die from starvation? But the next sentence reassured him. “It doesn’t affect me. It seems that I’m…miraculously sustained. At this point it hardly crosses my mind,” he let out a short laugh that was distorted by his faceplate.

“Would you take off your helmet so that I can see your face?” Ed asked him.

“I—I can’t,” he said sadly, “that’s another part of the curse. I can’t show you my face.”

“This is certainly an elaborate curse,” Ed said. “Have you tried to break it?”

“I tried in the beginning but I’ve had it for so long that I’ve accepted it by now.”

“If you need help…” Ed offered, but the man shook his head.

“It’s not necessary, but thank you,” he said. Ed hummed. If the man didn’t want to tell him any more then Ed wasn’t going to push it. It was getting late, though, and he still had yet to properly bandage his side. 

“I’ll have to retire shortly,” Ed said. “Do you have a room here?” The man nodded. “As it happens, I’m also traveling towards Kaedwen, so you’re welcome to join me, in the morning,” Ed offered.

“I would—yes,” said the man, rising. “Thank you, Ed. Can I call you Ed? Do you prefer Edward?”

“Ed is fine,” Ed said, and then paused before saying, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t think you told me your name.”

“Alphonse,” he said with a sad smile. “Alphonse Elric, but you can call me Al, if you like. Everyone does.”


End file.
